Simulating a questionnaire on the framing effects in decision-making processes in a serious game

Abstract

The rapid development of technology has introduced new formats of human-computer interaction, which have in turn produced many new forms of media and a whole new field of interactive multimedia. One of the major mediums that has grown in popularity since its early development is video games. For a long time, video games have been developed and distributed for the purpose of entertainment, however, in the late 2010s, researchers have taken an interest in the characteristics of games and how they can be used for different purposes. Video games allow a tight loop of action-reaction which provides fertile ground for many types of experiments which would be impossible or prohibitively difficult to perform in the physical world, and as such serve as strong virtual alternatives. A video game that is able to produce an immersive experience for the player in which the player believes that they are "actually there" in the game, and that the game is an extension of reality provides an alternate way to explore human behaviors and decision-making processes. Prospect theory questionnaires explore decision-making in hypothetical situations. In most cases, these experiments are done in controlled environments and rely on the respondent's imagination to reproduce the situation which is presented to them. Creating a virtual world with which the players can directly interact with and face tangible consequences of their decisions brings the hypothetical situations of the prospect theory questions closer to the respondent. If the players can interact with and manipulate the virtual world, then it is much easier for them to empathize with it and their character, and thus, the assumption is that the answers represent a more realistic image of the player's decision making.